Candi Borobudur

Candi Borobudur Magelang Reviews

It is famed as a largest Buddhist temple in the world but I did not go there to see the size. I heard of the festival called Waisak and I went for that experience which was supposed to be happening in the vicinity of the temple and grand finale with lanterns at the Borobudur site. Ended up as disaster because of the rain...

Anyway, temple is grandiose with nice relief and sculptures. Multiple levels are interesting to walk around and everything is accessible to see. During the weekend there is lots of people visiting this site. There is huge price difference in effect, and foreigners pay 190000 for entrance, while locals pay only 30000. That is the worst disparity I have ever seen.

If you've done enough research, people will say that Borobudur is best visited at the crack of dawn. To do so, you need to pay 30USD at the Manohara hotel, located a few hundred meters away from the temple. They will bring you into the temple at dawn, around 5am.

If you don't care too much to see a peaceful sunrise, Borobudur is best visited before 10 and after 3 because the heat is no joke. If you have to visit in the afternoon, bring an umbrella, hat and sunscreen. There will be old ladies just after the ticketing entrance that will rent umbrellas for cheap.

The temple gets uncomfortably overrun by tourists, especially on weekends. Mondays and Tuesdays are the best days to visit where you can enjoy a peaceful visit and safe climb. Wear good shoes too.

Go on a tour if you can because the guides will bring you through the corridors and tell you the stories behind the reliefs, something you could do on your own if you're armed with an art history book. Tour guides can be hired at the international ticket entrance if I'm not mistaken and they speak a myriad of languages!

If you're not the sort of person who enjoys art, architecture and history, Borobudur may not be the place for you. It is considerably far from the city centre and your whole trip will be described as a long walk and a long hike under the hot sun. There's not much else in the area to do either other than shopping at the market outside the temple and eating Yogya cuisine.

entry fee for non local US$15 for adult and US$8 for childJun 10, 2011

the largest buddha temple in the world. world heritage list NO: 592

a local friend hired a car for about US$25 (1 day) and drove 4 of us from yogyakarta hotel to here. we got up quite early and were told the traffic will be bad if we set out later, we set out around 730am, and took about 2 hours.

after arrival, before we can find the parking, lots of people rush towards us and try to sell whatever they got in their hands. of cause we were not interested in purchasing anything and carry them in this hot weather.

we bought the tickets 3 local and 2 non-local.and we hire a guide for US$7.50

the temple itself is amazing. some of the steps are bit harder for older visitors. for us, quite manageable.

met 5 monks from japan. they were bit disappointed as part of temple was closed, no visitors allowed to get to the top.

surprisingly 3 men from Indonesia wanted to take photos with me. i am Asian, not much differences between us, only bit whiter.

Incredible. Breathtaking. Heart stopping. Just a few words to describe this masterpiece while describing it properly is almost impossible. No word or sentence would match the value of this Buddhist Temple.

When I arrived near the Borobudur I stopped talking. Because my eyes were focussed on the massive black structure in front of me. It was hot that day and the sun was burning through my skin. But that didn't bother me. I was home.

I started walking up the stairs (Note that it was a pretty long but nice walk to get to this point), and kept on walking till I reached the top. I was strolling on a true miracle. I say this because they still don't have a clue about the "how" factor. How the Borobudur is build is yet unknown.

Just like the name. They are still guessing the where the name comes from. A variety of scientists think they know the true meaning of the Borobudur. But everyone tells a different story. To me the Borobudur is the most impressive Buddhist Temple I have seen so far and I'm sure it stays this way. Because my heart lies here and from the very first moment I set foot on the Borobudur, I knew I was attached to it, Closely.

There is nothing more to tell about it really. You have to experience this beautiful memory of me. I will upload a few pictures then you can see it for yourself! =))

Borobudur temple located in Magelang Town. just one hour drive from Jogjakarta. This town not only famous with their snake fruits ( salak ), stone carving ( black lave stone) but also with their famous Budha's Temple called by local Candi Borobudur.

If you haven't heard about Borobudur, here is a little information about it that I took from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/592:

"This famous Buddhist temple, dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, is located in central Java. It was built in three tiers: a pyramidal base with five concentric square terraces, the trunk of a cone with three circular platforms and, at the top, a monumental stupa. The walls and balustrades are decorated with fine low reliefs, covering a total surface area of 2,500 m2. Around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha. The monument was restored with UNESCO's help in the 1970s."

What I can say about Candi Borobudur are:

- It is a must visit place. Imagine how the people from 8th-9th centuries built this magnificent temple with simple technology, paid attention to the details, designed and measured it carefully, etc, etc.

- Take a guide to tell you the information and the history or read it before you go there. The knowlede of the temple may enhance the experience in tracing the reliefs.

- Avoid the peak seasons, especially on the school holidays [July and December]. Not only tourists come to the temple, but the schools in Indonesia often send their students to have a field trip there. They might flood the temple and bother you by asking to take a picture with you *sorry*. It might lessen your enjoyment.

- If you are interested in buying souvenirs, there are lots of stalls. If you want a best deal, try to bargain 30% from the price the vendors offer then increase it a little. If you are not interested, just say "no, thank you" firmly to the vendors who approach you. They are pushy sometimes, or most of the time :-(